July 9 at The Breakers: Newport Classical Presents Regional Premiere of New Work by JUNO Award-Winning Composer Vivian Fung for Violinist Kristin Lee and Sandbox Percussion
Photo from the world premiere of Goddess/Insect taken by Carlin Ma for Emerald City Music.
Available in high resolution here.
Newport Classical Co-Commissions New Work by
JUNO Award-Winning Composer Vivian Fung
Violinist Kristin Lee and Sandbox Percussion Give
New England Premiere at Newport Classical Music Festival
Thursday, July 9, 2026, 8pm
The Breakers | 44 Ochre Point Ave. | Newport, RI
Information & Tickets: newportclassical.org/music-festival
Newport, RI – From July 2-19, 2026, the Newport Classical Music Festival will again turn this “City by the Sea” into a summer destination for music lovers, featuring 30 concerts across 11 unforgettable venues, from cliffside lawns to gilded mansions, including the stunning interiors of The Breakers, The Elms, Castle Hill Inn, Blithewold Mansion, Rosecliff Mansion, Redwood Library and Athenæum, and more. One of the many highlights of this year’s Music Festival is the New England premiere of a new work co-commissioned by Newport Classical from JUNO Award-winning composer Vivian Fung, on Thursday, July 9 at 8pm at The Breakers (44 Ochre Point Avenue).
The new piece, titled Goddess//Insect is written for violinist Kristin Lee, praised in The Strad for her “elegance” and “vivacity and electric energy,” and the “utterly amazing” (Guardian) GRAMMY®-nominated ensemble Sandbox Percussion. It is co-commissioned by a national consortium of concert presenters including Newport Classical, Emerald City Music (Lee’s own series in Seattle), Music@Menlo in California, Constellations Chamber Concerts in the Washington, DC area; and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York, NY. Exploring the vibrant dialogue between violin and percussion, Lee and Sandbox Percussion bring this dynamic new work to The Breakers, along with music by two other women composers, Gabriella Smith and Joan Tower.
The co-commission of Goddess//Insect represents Newport Classical’s ongoing commitment to the future of classical music. Writing in The Newport Daily News, Newport Classical Executive Director Oliver Inteeworn says, “Classical music’s roots are deep, but it is a living legacy. Composers writing in this genre are just as active now as they were in centuries past. During the Music Festival, you can hear recently written and brand new music alongside classics by composers whose names we all know, like Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. Each summer, Newport Classical also commissions a new piece especially for the Music Festival, ensuring that we are supporting the creation of new work by today’s composers.”
“Goddess//Insect is derived from the term 'God-Bug Syndrome' where a 'god complex' (inflated self-importance) acts as a defense against deep-seated feelings of worthlessness,” says composer Vivian Fung. “I believe our world right now is facing these conflicting emotions and so this work is ultimately a work that reflects our turbulent and chaotic times.”
Of the theatrical nature of the piece, Fung says in an interview in The Newport Daily News, “The performance commences with the majority of the performers dispersed throughout the hall, creating the ‘Arachnid Procession.’ All performers embody an otherworldly sound, as one audience member at the world premiere mentioned that it gave him goose bumps. They gradually walk towards the stage, where the work truly unfolds. The effect is a surround sound experience without the need for a sound system!”
Kristin Lee says, “This project has been in the works for several years, and I couldn’t be more excited that it has finally come to life. My admiration for Sandbox Percussion’s vast sound world and Vivian Fung’s boundless creativity grew out of two very different musical chapters in my life, and bringing them together feels like a dream come true. Beyond my own personal excitement, this piece is a celebration of an instrumentation with enormous potential – the combination of percussion quartet and violin, a pairing that remains underrepresented in the repertoire. By sharing works by Vivian and Joan, I hope this project will inspire others to expand the possibilities for this instrumentation and help bring its powerful impact to a wider audience.”
Victor Caccese of Sandbox Percussion says, “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Kristin Lee on a new work by Vivian Fung and to explore the dialogue between an instrument with a rich history like the violin and the expansive, ever-evolving sound world of a percussion quartet. Sandbox Percussion has long admired Kristin’s artistry and the singular path she has forged as a violinist, and this collaboration feels like a perfect fit. This project offers a meaningful opportunity to expand the chamber music repertoire for violin and percussion quartet. Vivian’s music is endlessly creative, drawing on long-standing musical traditions while blending them with fresh, contemporary ideas. Her work opens up a rich and expressive space for these instruments together, and we’re excited to bring a new voice into this still largely underexplored corner of the chamber music landscape.”
About the Artists
Vivian Fung: vivianfung.ca
Kristin Lee: violinistkristinlee.com
Sandbox Percussion: sandboxpercussion.com
About Newport Classical
Newport Classical is a premier performing arts organization that welcomes people of every age, culture, and background to intimate, immersive musical experiences. The organization presents world-renowned and up-and-coming artistic talents at stunning, storied venues across Newport – an internationally sought-after cultural and recreational destination.
Originally founded in 1969 as Rhode Island Arts Foundation at Newport, Inc., Newport Classical has a rich legacy of musical curiosity having presented the American debuts of hundreds of international artists and is most well-known for hosting three weeks of concerts in the summer in the historic mansions throughout Newport and Aquidneck Island. In the 56 years since, Newport Classical has become the most active year-round presenter of live performing arts on Aquidneck Island, and an essential pillar of Rhode Island’s cultural landscape, welcoming thousands of patrons all year long.
Newport Classical invests in the future of classical music as a diverse, relevant, and ever-evolving art form through its four core programs – the one-of-a-kind Music Festival; the Chamber Series in the Newport Classical Recital Hall; the free, family-friendly Community Concerts Series; and the Music Enrichment and Engagement Initiative that inspires students in local schools and community organizations to become the arts advocates and music lovers of tomorrow. These programs illustrate the organization’s ongoing commitment to presenting “timeless music for today.”
In 2021, the organization launched a new commissioning initiative – each year, Newport Classical will commission a new work by a Black, Indigenous, person of color, or woman composer as a commitment to the future of classical music. To date, Newport Classical has commissioned and presented the world premiere of works by Stacy Garrop, Shawn Okpebholo, Curtis Stewart, Clarice Assad, and Cris Derksen.
After a year-long community-driven process, and rooted in the organization’s mission “to celebrate the living art form of classical music in intimate and iconic locations,” Newport Classical released its 2025-2028 Strategic Plan, presenting a clear roadmap to become a stronger, healthier, and more vibrant organization that enhances its programs and community engagement, promotes responsible financial growth and sustainability, and centers artistic excellence in every decision, as the organization aspires to open its doors even wider.